Borgin and Burkes

7.7K 139 28
                                    

Thick fog swallowed the narrow cobble stone path snaking between close set and crooked buildings, here and there a lantern illuminated the air, making it seem like ghost lights floating over the heads of the very few witches and wizards lurking underneath them, it was almost freezing so you pulled she shawl over your head closer, avoiding making eye contact with anyone around. It wasn't as if you were a stranger to Knockturn Alley but you still preferred to not make acquaintances with any nasty sorts, your reason for visiting was strictly business.

The dark sign with the golden lettering over the front door of Borgin and Burkes was the first indication of the shop peeling itself out of the fog, followed by the big, illuminated windows. You hurried inside, the shop seemed entirely empty so you followed the sound of a feather scraping over parchment, amplified by the silence that threatened to suffocate the rest of the shop.

Behind the counter sat a young man, his dark locks covering half his face as he looked down onto the parchment. When you stepped up to him he looked up, his face was stone cold and his dark eyes seemed to be able to pierce your mind but by Merlin was he handsome, just breathtakingly beautiful.

Out of the corner of your eyes you saw him quickly slipping something into his pocket before carefully placing the parchment and feather onto the counter.

"Do you need help with something?," he asked with a voice smooth like silk and finally a smile played on his lips.

"What did you have there? It looked interesting." You originally came in to look for magical artifacts, planning on adding to your little collection at home, but you couldn't resist trying to chat up the young man.

He protectively laid a hand on his pocket. "Nothing for sell I'm afraid. But there are plenty of other artifacts that might also spark your interest. Cursed jewelry, ancient masks, torture devices. Is there something specific you are looking for?"

Despite the somewhat frozen-in-place looking smile, his eyes revealed no emotion and to your own displeasure you were intrigued.

"I believe you are in possession of an ancient figurine that came from a Romanian village, am I correct?," you asked.

"You did your research. Yes, we are indeed, follow me," the man replied and led you between dusty bookshelves and various items strewn over tables, some covered with more, some with less dust.

He stopped in front of a display cabinet filled with small figurines, the wooden faces painted in a way that made them look like demons, you eyed them curiously and when you turned to ask for the price you noticed the young man eyeing you curiously, heat crept up into your face.

"You must have kept track of it to know you'd find it here," he said matter of factly, letting the statement hang in the air but you took the bait.

"Indeed, I have a certain interest in these ancient artifacts and sometimes you have to dig a bit deeper to find them," you replied.

"And that means you have quite some experience in finding these, no doubt." He contemplated you for a second and then stretched out his hand towards you. "Tom Riddle, nice to meet you."

You took his hand and gave him your name.

"What a lovely name," Tom said, flashing a grin. "Have you had any other interesting finds lately?"

You were delighted to see that you had a shared interest, the usual experience with people working in shops like these - especially in a shady corner like Knockturn Alley - had been rather unpleasant, they rarely knew much about the artifacts and were only interested in taking as many Galleons as possible from you but Tom seemed different in that regard.

Splitting One's SoulWhere stories live. Discover now